The Friction Product & Materials Market

• Provides in-depth analysis of the North American market for friction products and materials in light vehicles, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, aircraft and other industrial applications
• Forecasts trends and sales in the North American market for friction products and materials through 2014, broken down by ground transportation, aircraft/aerospace and industrial sectors
• Assesses the underlying economic issues driving the friction products and materials business
• Analyzes social, political and regulatory issues influencing the industry
• Discusses new and potential products
• Profiles top players within the industry.

The goal of this report is to provide a detailed and comprehensive multi-client study of the global market for friction products and materials in light vehicles, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, aircraft, and other industrial applications, as well as potential business opportunities in the future. Greater detail, however, is provided for North America. The report covers both original equipment (OE) markets and the aftermarket. Its objectives include a thorough coverage of the underlying economic issues driving the friction products and materials business, as well as assessments of new and potential products that companies are developing. Social, political, and regulatory issues are also covered, as are international markets. Another important objective is to provide realistic market data and forecasts for friction products and materials.

The scope of this report is comprehensive, covering the present status of and future prospects for OE/aftermarket friction materials and products in North America. As defined in this report, North America includes the United States and Canada. The report includes diverse segments such as light vehicles, medium- and heavy-duty trucks, the automotive aftermarket, aircraft/aerospace, construction and other off-road equipment, and various industrial applications. These are analyzed in detail as well as technology developments, market conditions and opportunities, and 5-year forecasts. The role of new technologies is reviewed in this comprehensive report. This BCC Research study analyzes the current North America market in detail and identifies the most promising market opportunities for the next 5 years for both OE and aftermarket applications. The markets in Western Europe, Japan, China, India, and other global markets are covered as well. In order to generate the information necessary to construct a reasonable future market for friction materials, it is necessary to undertake an examination of the advantages and disadvantages of the various types of materials. In particular, environmental concerns are very significant for some types of friction materials.

• Dry friction materials, such as non-asbestos organic (NAO), semimetallic low-metallic, and asbestos friction materials
• Wet-friction materials such as paper products

In addition to various friction materials and products, it also covers the many issues concerning the merits and future prospects of the business, including corporate strategies, technologies, and the means for providing these products and service offerings. It also covers in detail the social, political, regulatory, and economic issues that so many regard as critical to the industry' s current state of change. The report provides a review of the friction materials and products industry and its structure, and the many companies involved in providing these materials and technologies. The competitive position of the main players in the market and the strategic options they face are also discussed, as well as such competitive factors as marketing, distribution, and operations.

The values presented in the forecast tables represent the value of the friction products purchased by the OE manufacturers and other industrial companies. These measure value at the point of apparent consumption, regardless of where the friction product was manufactured. For materials, the values represent those paid by the friction product manufacturers. The volume data represent the consumption of these materials by the friction product manufacturers at the point of manufacture for these products, regardless of where the product is sold and used. As a result, the tables representing materials consumed and the tables representing friction products are not comparable at the national and regional level. Consumption of these materials and the value of the friction products are, of course, comparable at the global level.

In this report, the term revenue is equivalent to and is used interchangeably with the terms purchases, demand, and sales. All growth rates mentioned in the tables and in the text are based on the compound annual growth rate (CAGR) from 2009 through 2014. In most cases, the actual quantity or volume (in pounds) is measured and the calculated growth rates are easy to comprehend. Because (2009) dollar measures are used to measure revenues, these growth rates reflect the growth in volume or real growth as well as the effects of price changes and changes in product/service mix. Readers should also be advised that with 2009 featuring a synchronized recession that has adversely affected all end-use markets for friction materials, sales activity is down significantly from 2008, and forecasts to 2014 reflect a strong cyclical component in a recovery in addition to expected structural changes. As a result, the growth rates may appear high because of this cyclical recovery.

INFORMATION SOURCES

The research methodology was qualitative in nature and employed a triangulating approach, which aids validity. Initially, a comprehensive and exhaustive search of the literature on friction materials and products was conducted. These secondary sources included automotive and related journals and books, trade literature, marketing literature, other product/promotional literature, annual reports, security analyst reports, and other publications. In a second phase, a series of semistructured interviews were conducted with marketing executives, engineers, business unit managers, design engineers, and other personnel at the friction materials and products companies. Other sources included academics, technology, and materials suppliers, technical experts, trade association officials, government officials, and consulting companies. These were rich sources of data. Subsequent analysis of the documents and interview notes was iterative.

AUTHOR' S CREDENTIALS

The author has more than 25 years of experience in competitive intelligence, industrial market research, planning and marketing at major corporations, market research consultancies, and think tanks. He advises and briefs management about economic and industry conditions, strategic developments, and the effects of proposed developments in plastics, metals, and other materials. The author has employed scenario analysis to investigate and research the future of industry to identify the impact of globalization, consolidation, demographics, changing industry structure, and technological innovation. His particular interest lies in the interaction of strategy, economic and industry developments, and innovation. He holds a BA and a MS degree in industrial economics, and has completed other studies in business administration.